Politics placed on pause as David Scott is remembered

The death of Georgia Congressman David Scott is sure to lead to renewed conversations about whether aging lawmakers should be more willing to pass the torch to the next generation. It could also spur analysis of the effect his vacant seat will have on Republicans’ thin majority and the complicated Democratic primary to succeed him in office.

But on Wednesday, as news of his death spread on Capitol Hill, there were words of reflection and remembrance. Scott, 80, died hours after casting his final votes on the House floor.

U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, the dean of Georgia’s congressional delegation and a longtime friend of Scott, led a tribute on the House floor. Georgia lawmakers stood at the front beside members of the Congressional Black Caucus while the rest of the chamber joined for a moment of silence.

“David and I served side by side for decades, first in the Georgia General Assembly, later together in the House of Representatives,” Bishop, D-Albany, said. “Here, we shared a friendship that was rooted in faith, family and a deep commitment to the people we represent.”

Bishop spoke about Scott’s two biggest priorities as a lawmaker, serving farmers through his work on the Agriculture Committee where he rose to become the first Black chairman, and his focus on funneling dollars and resources to historically Black colleges and universities.

U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, the delegation’s longest-serving Republican, focused on Scott’s faith. He said they would sometimes be seated next to each other on flights to and from Washington, and each time Scott would open his briefcase and take out the weathered Bible he kept inside. They would have small talk until the flight took off, but then Scott would focus on his reading.

“I can tell you, he read it, day in and day out, on that airplane,” the Tifton Republican said.

Scott’s family said details about funeral arrangements will be shared in the coming days.

Things to know

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Good morning! Here are three things to know for today.

No go

Credit: (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: (Ben Gray for the AJC)

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has heard the chatter about his 2028 ambitions — and he wants to shut it down as he runs for reelection in a fiercely competitive race.

“I have zero interest in running for president in 2028,” he told Jen Psaki on her MS NOW show last night. “I love serving the state of Georgia. I’ve got two young daughters. And to be honest with you, I think that the 2028 fantasy football risks distracting us from the urgent task at hand.”

He added, “If we do not restore checks and balances in these midterm elections, I don’t know that we have a free and fair presidential election in 2028.”

Ossoff’s success flipping Georgia and his ability to connect with some Trump voters have made him a dark horse favorite of some early 2028 prognosticators. But he has privately brushed off that speculation. Now he is publicly dismissing it as a distraction.

It is also a potential political liability in Georgia, where Republicans have long tried to cast prominent Democrats like Stacey Abrams and Jason Carter as politicians eager to use the state as a stepping stone to higher office.

Rabid response

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent Wednesday on Capitol Hill defending President Donald Trump’s budget request. Most of the news came from his repeated deflection of blame over dwindling childhood vaccination rates and surging measles cases.

But U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock wanted to talk about rabies. He noted the rabies division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta now has just one person responsible for responding to calls on the agency’s emergency line.

“Senator, there’s one to three rabies cases a year in the United States. I think one person manning that office full time probably can handle that traffic,” Kennedy said.

The U.S. averaged fewer than two confirmed cases of rabies per year between 2015 and 2024. But the overall picture is more complex. More than 6 million people in the U.S. report animal bites each year, and about 1.4 million people receive care for possible rabies exposure.

Warnock did not appreciate Kennedy’s response.

“I think you are dangerous to the American public and you ought to be fired,” Warnock said. “And if you are not fired, you ought to have the decency to resign. You’re way in over your head.”

Party time

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

The United States turns 250 years old this year, and Georgia’s congressional delegation has some ideas on how states should celebrate.

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins introduced resolutions this week asking businesses and states to give military veterans discounts throughout the year. House Resolution 1205 urges businesses to give veterans voluntary discounts. House Joint Resolution 158 asks states to establish “Veterans Tax Free Weekends” to coincide with Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day.

“The United States of America did not reach 250 years by accident, our way of life and our freedoms have been defended by courageous and selfless service members every step of the way,” Collins said in a news release.

Collins is running for the U.S. Senate this year. But his idea did attract some bipartisan support. U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, is a cosponsor along with U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller, R-Lookout Mountain.

Town hall

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Senate candidate Derek Dooley is about to roll out the third leg of his Georgia tour, pushing the campaign past 30 publicly advertised stops statewide.

Their argument is straightforward: No one in the GOP field is doing more open-to-anyone campaign events. It’s difficult to measure, but it offers a window into Dooley’s broader strategy.

The former football coach is trying to show he’s building a groundswell with Kemp’s help, so he can position himself as the clearest alternative to front-runner U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.

Listen up

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Georgia Supreme Court Justice Charlie Bethel joins the show to talk about the rising political stakes in judicial races, including his own. And Lauri Strauss previews the Atlanta Press Club debates.

You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Harper helpers

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper announced Wednesday that his campaign volunteer network now includes more than 200 county captains, including one in all 159 Georgia counties. The commissioner is up for reelection for the first time this year.

The list of captains for Harper is one of the more eclectic we’ve ever seen, with a mix of farmers and producers, elected officials, conservative activists and even some Democrats.

Among the county captains are Jan Jones, the wife of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones; Georgia Poultry Federation president Mike Giles; JaeMor Farms’ owners state Sen. Drew Echols and former state Sen. Shelly Echols; state Sen. Russ Goodman, R-Cogdell; state Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Dawson; former GOP state Rep. Terry England; former Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Stuckey; Houston County Commissioner Dan Perdue; and DeKalb County’s Stephen Lawson.

Today in Washington

Court watch

Georgia Supreme Court Justice Charlie Bethel is up with a new six-figure TV ad that leans hard into biography and an unmistakable campaign message that he’s the candidate of everyday Georgians.

The spot features Bethel talking about growing up in Dalton’s flooring industry, punching a clock and working double shifts before entering public life.

He uses that story to frame a broader pitch that courts should deliver “a fair shot and a level playing field.”

Ladies first?

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Wednesday’s newsletter mentioned that the University of Georgia women’s tennis team was among the NCAA champions that attended a celebration at the White House on Tuesday. But a photo the team posted went viral as people observed that the ladies were nearly hidden behind Trump and the five men that accompanied them to Washington, including UGA Athletics Director Josh Brooks and women’s tennis head coach Drake Bernstein.

It doesn’t matter the platform — X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook — many people found the photo cringe, as the kids say.

“Why are the women who are being ‘celebrated’ way in the background behind a bunch of guys?” one woman responded on Facebook.

The Athens Banner-Herald reported that video the team posted separately showed Trump shaking hands with all of the men but none of the female champions. The team did not directly respond to the paper’s follow-up questions about the controversy over the photo.

Shoutouts

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Today’s birthday

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

Before you go

Credit: Courtesy of the GFC

Credit: Courtesy of the GFC

Wildfires in South Georgia and North Florida have led state and federal officials to make emergency declarations, in addition to a haze of smoke hovering over metro Atlanta Wednesday.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider information to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.